Mets captain David Wright may no longer be around, but that does not mean the team is void of leadership.

Enter Todd Frazier.

The veteran third baseman, whom Mickey Callaway has already declared the starter over Jeff McNeil, plans to take rookie first baseman Peter Alonso under his wing and has requested that the 24-year-old's locker be placed next to his this spring training, he told Kevin Kernan of the New York Post.

"I'm going to be on him because if he is supposed to be our starting first baseman, I am going to make sure that he knows what he is doing and he is going to be on the right track," Frazier said. "Not just being a rookie, but I want him to understand the rights and wrongs of the game and how to act and how to be that guy."

Alonso combined to hit .285/.395/.579 with 36 home runs and 119 RBI in Double and Triple-A last season and continued to rake in the Arizona Fall League, too, hitting .255/.339/.510 with six home runs and 27 RBI in 27 games.

He enters 2019 with high expectations, but there has also been some criticism about his defensive ability.

Frazier, who turns 33 in February, has played some first base in his career and is a former first-round draft pick, so he understands the importance of the position as well as managing expectations.

"First basemen are big shoes, that corner spot, we need a bopper over there," Frazier said. "I want to keep his head on straight. I'm not saying he is bad or anything, but I want to lead him in the right direction, show him the ins and outs of Major League Baseball. And if I have to get on his case a little bit every once in a while, I will do that."

Popular in the Community